A Forbidden Child
by Moonlight-Ray0425
Summary: Shinachiku has been living in Suna his entire life. He has two amazing friends, a kazekage as his father figure, and a comfortable life -and his parents have abandoned him...or have they? Gaara figures that it is time for the young boy to go to his true home in Konoha and meet his parents...what could possibly go wrong? Many, many things. Contains narusaku I do not own Naruto!
1. Begin Your Journey

Shinachiku wasn't sure how he got himself into this mess.

He wasn't sure how he was going to get himself _out_ of it either.

But here he was, surrounded by a large group of bandits with his two teammates both on the ground, unconscious.

Panting, Shina gritted his teeth, worry and fear nipping at his heart.

"Seika…" his emerald green eyes glanced over at his female friend who was sprawled out against the sandy floor. "Fudo…" this time he looked over at his male team mate who was struggling to keep his eyes open.

Clenching his hands into fists, Shinachiku tried his best not to lose his cool. He was outnumbered and they were all highly experienced ninjas but not only that, they were also armed.

On the other hand, Shina was still a genin, he was alone, and he was running out of chakra. His right shoulder was severely injured and the bandits weren't giving him enough time to heal.

Just as expected, one of the members appeared before him, bringing his sword down with one swift movement.

Shina managed to narrowly avoid the weapon and quickly leapt back a few feet.

"Oh~"

Shina glanced up, wincing as he desperately tried to stop the blood from gushing out of his wounded shoulder.

"You're pretty good, kid." the one who seemed to be the leader chuckled. "But how long are you going to keep this up? You only managed to take down ten of my men and you're already exhausted. Just accept defeat already."

Shina wasn't listening.

He was too busy glancing over at his two friends.

He had to escape with them.

He had to save them.

Now.

"HEY ARE YOU LISTENING?!" the leader roared, sprinting towards the golden haired boy.

He raised his fist and swung it at the boy's face. But Shina was faster, he dodged the incoming attack and quickly ran towards his two friends, grabbing them both by their collars.

"I'll get you out of here! So please, hang on!" he exclaimed.

"Don't let him escape! He has what we need! GET HIM!" the leader of the group ordered.

Shina was just about to sprint away into the forest but a huge burst of pain erupted from his shoulder and down to his fingertips.

"Got you!" one of the members laughed, his kunai raised and ready to penetrate Shina's skull.

Shina squeezed his eyes shut, ready for whatever impact or pain that might befall him.

But none came.

"Well done." A quiet yet familiar voice said.

"Gaara?" the boy blinked.

"Hey, show some respect!" a man with strange purple markings suddenly appeared, slapping Shina against the back. "He's the kazekage, brat."

"Ah, sorry, Kankuro." The boy laughed.

"Show some respect for me too, idiot!"

"Kankuro," Gaara said, his eyes piercing themselves into the leader of the bandits. "Take Shina and his friends away from here."

"Right," the puppet master nodded, heaving Seika and Fudo onto his shoulders. "Hey, brat, you have enough chakra to heal yourself right?"

"Huh? Oh yeah." The golden haired boy smiled. "But before that," his smile seemed to have dropped just a little. "Are they okay? They…they're hurt because of me. If I was just a bit-"

"They're fine." Kankuro cut him off, a small smirk tugging at his lips. "Stop blaming yourself over everything. They'll live. And besides, they're not dead thanks to you. You managed to hold those bastards off long enough so don't worry."

Relief washed over Shinachiku, his usual happy and handsome smile appearing on his face.

"Thank god." He laughed.

"Come on, I'll lead the way." Kankuro grinned, leaping up onto a tree and quickly hopping away.

Shina followed after him, worry and fear gone within a matter of seconds.

Gaara watched them leave before turning his attention back on the horror stricken bandits.

"T-That's the kazekage…" one of them breathed.

"Now, I have a lot of questions for you," Gaara said with a deadly tone.

Sand swirled around his feet, his eyes shooting daggers at each one.

"You either answer or you die. It's very simple."

—

"SHINA!" Seika cried, grabbing the boy with her arms and stuffing his face into her massive chests.

"A-Ah, S-Seika, I-I can't breathe!"

"YOU SAVED USSS! HERE'S YOUR REWARD YOU BASTARD!"

"Seika, stop it. You're injured." A boy with chocolate colored hair snapped. "And Shina is also injured so control yourself."

"Ah, don't get your panties in a bunch, Fudo-kun." She giggled, nearly strangling Shina in her grasp. "Shina loves it, doesn't he?"

"S-Seika! C-Can't breathe!" he tried again before finally peeling himself away, gasping for air.

"Shina, what happened after we lost consciousness?" Fudo asked before pushing up his glasses.

"I tried to fight the rest off, but I was outnumbered haha. And they were really strong too." He smiled, scratching his head. "But Gaara appeared right on time! He beat up those ninjas while Kankuro brought us all back to the hospital! They're amazing!"

Silence.

And then,

"Don't you think that it's a bit odd?" Fudo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Huh? What is?"

"The kazekage just happened to be around and just happened to arrive right when we were about to be killed. He was conveniently just there for our rescue." He frowned. "Don't you think that it's a bit…fishy?"

"What are you saying, Fudo-kun?" Seika giggled behind her hand. "Are you saying that Gaara-sama was following us and also watching us get beat up?"

Fudo flashed the green haired girl a glare before sighing.

"No, but that is a possibility." He mumbled.

"Ahhh! Guys! Stop being so serious!" Shina exclaimed, flailing his arms around. "I'm sure Gaara has his reasons and he saved us so you should be grateful!"

"Yeah, Fudo!" Seika laughed. "Awww, Shina, you're so adorable! Come here!" she squealed, grabbing him by the collar and once again suffocating him between her breasts.

"S-Seika! Argh! I-I can't-"

"Seika, stop it. Hey, are you listening to me?" Fudo growled. "Seika! Hey!"

"Awww, is Fudo-kun jealous?" she smiled.

"You're really pissing me off."

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." A quiet voice suddenly said making everyone except Shinachiku shiver.

"A-Ah, kazekage-sama!" Fudo said, his tone higher than usual.

Seika immediately set Shina free, her smile forced as she bowed to Gaara with all the respect she could muster.

Panting and gasping for air, Shina slowly turned to face the red head.

"A-Ah, Gaara!" he laughed, smoothing himself down. "I didn't get the chance to thank you-"

"Save that for later." Gaara said softly. "Shina, follow me, I have some news for you…very important news."

Confused but curious, Shina flashed his teammates one more smile before following Gaara out the door.

—

Gaara felt guilt form a knot in his stomach as he lead Shinachiku to his office.

It was true that he was following the boy and his teammates when they were given the mission, it was also true that he was just watching them get beat up, but it was all for a reason.

It was a test.

A test to see if Shinachiku was ready for his trip to Konoha.

The place where his parents lived.

The place where he was born.

The place where he belonged.

His home.

"Um, Gaara? Hello? Are you listening to me?" Shina's voice pulled Gaara away from his thoughts.

"Oh, sorry. What were you saying?" the kazekage said giving him a rare smile.

"I said did you see me kick butt?! I beat up those bandits pretty well, right?" he gave him his brilliant wide smile as he raised his fist to emphasize his victory.

"Yes, yes, you did very well."

"Oh and thanks for saving Fudo and Seika. I don't think I would've been able to…to save them…" his smile seemed to have faded a bit before perking himself back up again. "So? What did you want to talk about?"

They finally reached the entrance of Gaara's office.

If there was one thing that Gaara truly treasured about the boy it was probably his smile.

It was very beautiful smile, the kind that would even make the saddest man alive return the smile with one his own.

And the boy's outward appearance was uncanny to those of his parents.

Emerald green eyes…

" _Just like his mother's."_

With golden locks…

" _Just like his father's."_

Smiling a very small smile to himself, Gaara pushed the doors open and walked inside, motioning Shina to follow.

Sitting on his chair and resting his chin on his hands, Gaara sighed, looking up at the puzzled boy.

"Shinachiku," he started.

"Um, before you say anything, Gaara." The boy cut in, his radiant smile putting even the sun to shame. "Could I get a snack? I didn't get to eat anything since I got back."

Gaara blinked before nodding.

"What would you like?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Ramen!"

Of course.

Once Shina got his snack, Gaara coughed slightly and opened his mouth to speak,

"Shinachiku, this is very important to listen to me carefully." He said.

Slurping another mouthful of noodles, Shina nodded and looked up to make eye contact with the kazekage.

"…I decided that it's time for you to go back home."

Silence.

"What?" Shina blinked, confused. "But this is my home-"

"Your real home." Gaara said softly. "The place where your parents are."

Another moment of silence.

"M-My parents? But you said that my parents abandoned me…" Shina said, his brain still processing Gaara's words.

"They would never abandon you…" Gaara said quietly. "But under certain circumstances…they had to. Well, more specifically, your mom had to. But now, I can see that you're ready to make the trip and face whatever you have coming for you." He said, his eyes not leaving Shina's. "Shinachiku, your parents love you very much. I know they do."

Shina couldn't believe it.

This was happening way too fast.

"H-Hold on, Gaara, I've been living alone my entire life…and I have never left Suna. Ever! I don't know if I can-"

"You can and you will." Gaara said, getting up from his seat.

"Wait, Gaara! How do you even know if my parents will…will love me?" he said desperately. "And why would they abandon me if they really loved me?"

"Like I said," Gaara whispered. "Your parents never abandoned you. And they are wonderful people, they will love you with all their heart…" he said. "Trust me. I know."

Shinachiku tried his best to absorb his words without dropping his bowl of noodles.

His real home?

What?

Suna was his home.

He's been living here his entire life!

Granted, he was a bit lonely without any parents but he made two very amazing friends!

Gaara was also there for him and Kankuro too!

So to be perfectly honest, he never really thought of his parents much.

They abandoned him for whatever reason and he would respect that reason.

He held no hatred for his mother or for his father, whoever they may be.

But still,

This was way too much.

He was living his life peacefully and suddenly he's ordered to go and meet his parents who chose to leave him?

It didn't make any sense.

Why?

Why did he have to go and meet them?

Why now?

Shinachiku gritted his teeth, avoiding eye contact with Gaara.

"This is all too much…it happened way too fast. How will I even confront them? I can't just pop into their lives and-"

"Yes you can." Gaara blinked. "Your father popped into mine…and it was the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. He was my first friend and I am forever grateful to him."

Silence.

"Your father is a great man…" Gaara continued. "And so is your mother."

Another moment of silence sliced through the air.

Great people, huh?

Now that he thought about it, he did sometimes wonder how his parents were like.

What were they doing at this very moment?

Were they happy without him?

Were they okay?

Do they still love him?

"Well," Shinachiku slowly raised his head, that wide smile appearing on his face once more. "I guess I have no choice."

Sighing in relief, Gaara ran his fingers through his hair.

"But before I go." Shina suddenly said. "Can you tell me more about my parents?"

"Hm," the kazekage mumbled before raising an eyebrow. "Why don't you see for yourself? Hurry up and get ready. You have a long journey ahead of you…"

Shina nodded before sprinting out the door.

Once Gaara was sure that the boy was away, he bit his lip, doubts bubbling up in his stomach.

Was this a good idea?

Was it a good idea to let that child go and see his parents?

After all, to Konoha, Shina would be a forbidden child.

But,

Gaara gave himself another small smile.

If it was Shinachiku, he would be fine.


	2. Save them

"Do you have to go?" Seika whispered as she watched Shina stuff his clothes into a green back pack.

"Mm." he nodded, not even throwing a glance in her direction.

He was too busy deciding whether to bring lots of underwear or just a little.

"But why?"

"Because Gaara said so." He replied, shrugging as he tossed as many underwear as he possibly could into his bag.

"Shina…" he could hear her tone dripping with desperation.

So he quickly spun around on his heels and grabbed her by her shoulders. His emerald green eyes piercing themselves into her brown ones.

"Seika, I have to do this." He smiled. "My parents…are waiting for me."

Her chocolate colored orbs widened at his words.

"Parents?" she said softly. "B-But, Shina, you said that they abandoned you…"

"They did…" he said, his smile slowly fading. "But Gaara said that they still loved me. I want to see them."

"Are you ready, idiot?" Fudo appeared at his door, irritation clearly visible on his features.

"Yeah," the boy chuckled, swinging his backpack over his shoulders. "Seika, I'll come visit."

"You better…" she said quietly.

With one last smile, Shina walked out of his room.

Sighing, Seika plopped herself down onto Shina's bed.

"Ah!" a sudden voice made Seika leap off the bed. "Did that brat leave already?"

"You!" the green haired girl gasped.

And then,

"Who are you again?"

"I'M KANKURO! MY GOD!" he snapped.

"Oh, sorry." She smiled weakly before clearing her throat. "Yeah, Shina left. But if you run, you might catch up to him."

"Okay, good!" he grinned, ready to sprint out the door, but the look on the girl's face stopped him. "Hey, you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, of course!" her laugh sounded forced even to her own ears.

"Hm," he blinked before walking towards her. "Do you know why, that kid had to leave you and his friends behind?" he asked.

"Yeah, because his parents are there and he wants to see them-"

"Nope!"

Seika blinked, puzzled.

"E-Excuse me?"

"The reason why he left is because well," he paused then smiled. "His parents _need_ him."

Now she was even more confused.

What did he mean by that?

His parents needed him?

Huh?

Why?

What?

"Now then, I have to go and say bye." Kankuro quickly spun on his heels and burst out of the room.

"Ah! Wait-!"

Silence.

And then,

"His parents need him…?" she whispered to herself. "What the hell does that even mean?!"

It was a nice day.

A very nice day.

A nice sun.

A nice sky.

A nice breeze.

A nice, beautiful day…

It was the kind of day where if you said a sentence or a word that challenged fate, then it will come back to haunt you.

For instance,

"Everything is perfect…"

Or,

"I wish this moment could last forever."

Or,

"The weather is really nice today…"

That kind of day.

It was this sort of day when Sakura Haruno said a sentence that challenged fate.

Sakura had gone out to get some groceries, that was all but for some reason life had other plans.

Life decided that, that was the day for some life changing moment.

But then again, life isn't very fair nor is it predictable.

Sakura Haruno was only out to get some milk, carrots, and broccoli for her family.

She was out to get some food to place on her table.

That was all she wanted.

And this was when she said the words, "Wow, the weather is beautiful today…"

And of course, at that exact moment, she ran into a certain blonde haired man who just happened to be walking down the same path on the same day…

And this blonde haired man just so happened to be the hokage of the entire village.

Her best friend…

Naruto Uzumaki.

No…

Best friends was not the right word.

Sure, they would talk but only once in a while.

Sure, they would give each other small glances but that was only if they were lucky.

Sure, they may give each other a few waves every now and then but it meant nothing to them.

Sure, they would give each other a tiny smile if it was a good day but…

Their smiles revealed nothing but sadness, grief, and gloom.

And today, was one of those days.

A sad and dark smile.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan." Naruto said lightly.

"Ah, Naruto." She said, shielding her eyes from the sun. "What are you doing out here?"

"It was a nice day today so I decided to go for a walk."

"Are you done with your paperwork, mister hokage?" she smirked up at him before placing her hands on her hips.

"Ah…wellllll…" Naruto coughed slightly. "Maybe?"

This was when the blonde held his breath, ready for her scolding.

He waited for her stern voice as she told him to hurry and go do his work.

He waited for that small spark in her eye as she grabbed him by his ear and dragged him back to his office.

He waited for maybe even a punch or two…

But, all she did was give him that horrifying smile.

The small and sad kind…

The ones he hated the most.

"That's not the good, Naruto." She said softly. "You have your duties as hokage. Do your best, okay? Or I won't forgive you."

Her tone didn't sound angry or serious at all, that forced smile of hers sent shivers down Naruto's spine.

"I have to go now, Naruto." She said, her dull eyes doing little to lift the hokage's spirit. "See you around."

And with that, she was gone.

Naruto could only watch as his flower slowly withered away.

He could do nothing but watch as it shrunk into something so frail…so weak…so pitiful.

That was not the Sakura-chan he knew.

That was not the beautiful cherry blossom he knew.

And that was certainly not her smile.

He wanted to do something, he _had_ to do something!

That flower of his, the flower that he treasured with all his heart was dying!

But what could he do?

After all, he was the sun and his light was also fading.

And without the sun, the flower cannot bloom.

Someone…

Someone please…

Save them.

* * *

"FINALLY!" Shina cheered. "KONOHA! Shinachiku is here and is ready for some adventure!" he smiled brightly as he stared down at the village from a cliff. "Mom…dad…I can't wait till I see you!"


	3. A Name

"Mom, you're home." A young girl with midnight colored hair approached her mother.

Pushing up the frames of her glasses, she grabbed one of the groceries Sakura was carrying.

"Here, I'll help-"

"Ah, no, it's okay." The pinkette chuckled weakly, moving the bags away from her daughter's fingers. "You just get ready for dinner, okay?"

Sarada blinked, watching her mother's retreating back with a blank expression.

"Are you sure?" she asked, following the obviously weary woman.

"Yes, yes. Don't worry, Sarada." Sakura laughed as she laid the groceries onto the floor. "Did you finish your homework by the way?"

"Yeah…I did, mom. A long time ago actually. I thought I told you that."

"Oh," Sakura blinked before scratching her head. "D-Did you? I don't remember that. Um, did you double check-?"

"Yeah. Triple checked." The Uchiha mumbled.

"Ah…"

Silence.

Sakura quickly cleared her throat as she pulled out the milk from the plastic bags.

"Go wash your hands, Sarada. Dinner will be ready soon." The pinkette smiled.

But the girl didn't leave.

Instead, strange words began leaving her lips.

Strange, heartbreaking words.

Words that made Sakura freeze right where she was.

"You said dad was coming today."

Silence.

"Where is he?"

Another moment of silence.

"Mom? Where is dad?"

"A-Ah…that's strange. Haha, did I say that, honey? I'm sure-"

"You said that he was coming yesterday." The girl interrupted, her nails digging into the palm of her hands. "You said that he was going to come home and…and see me…see us…"

"Sarada…"

"Since when was the last time he came home?!" her tone was getting higher. "Since when was the last time you even saw him?!" her tone was getting dangerous. "SINCE WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME _ **I**_ SAW HIM?!"

"SARADA!" an even scarier voice boomed out, the walls shaking as Sakura's fist came into contact with the floor.

The young Uchiha wasn't sure when tears began stinging at her eyes but there she was, crying as her mother slowly lifted up her fist from the floor.

"Ah…I-I'm sorry, Sarada…" Sakura said almost desperately. "I-I didn't mean to make you cry…I just…oh god, I'm so sorry."

Sarada said nothing before wiping away her tears furiously.

"I'm not eating." She said, anger boiling up within her stomach. "I lost my appetite."

And with that, she spun around on her heels and sprinted towards her room, slamming the door shut behind her.

She hated this.

She hated all of this.

She hated her home, her life, her mother…

She hated her father for leaving his family.

She hated him for abandoning his daughter.

She hated him for leaving everything behind.

If he truly loved his family then wouldn't he still be here right now?

Having no other way of releasing her rage, the girl grabbed the nearest pillow and chucked it at a wall, watching with disgust as it quietly bounced off and gently land on her bed.

Dammit…

Damn it all.

What kind of mother…

WHAT KIND OF MOTHER PUNCHES A HOUSE TO SCOLD THEIR CHILD?!

Again, tears of frustration began spilling over as the Uchiha grabbed her pillow once more, raising it over her head.

"I HATE YOU!" she roared as the pillow was thrown against the floorboard.

Sakura was in her room and on her bed as those cruel words leaked through the wooden door, doing little to calm her heart.

"I HATE YOU!"

Her daughter had just said that.

Her own daughter had just screamed those words.

With shaking hands, Sakura reached over to the lamp on her night stand and quickly turned it off.

And there, in the darkness, she wept.

She poured out all of her grief, sorrow, frustration, and stress into the covers of her bed.

She poured out all of the emotions that was swirling around in her heart…

The regret, the madness, the pain…

Everything came spilling out in the form of salty and wet tears.

The throbbing feeling in her chest only grew in size as she gripped her bed sheets as she cried silent cries.

Ah…what a horrible feeling.

"Sasuke-kun…" she whispered to herself. "Sasuke-kun…please…come back…"

But that name felt foreign on her tongue.

That name was like poison…like the thorns on a lovely rose.

That name…only caused her nothing but agony.

That name did not mean anything to her now.

The name of her husband did nothing to soothe her broken heart.

And then another name decided to slither away from her lips.

Another name…

Another strange name.

A name that Sarada Uchiha had not been expecting as she leaned against her mother's door to make out what she was saying.

"Shinachiku…"


	4. Shinachiku

Shinachiku?

Huh?

Who?

Who was that?

Shina…chiku?

What?

Sarada pressed her ear against the door, straining them to hear even a whisper but all she could make out were the quiet whimpers and soft cries.

Taking a step back, the young Uchiha eyed the wooden door with confusion.

Shinachiku?

Wasn't that an ingredient in ramen?

Why would she say something like that?

Did that food give her some comfort in any way?

Or did her mom just have a really big appetite for bamboo shoots.

Confused yet curious, the young Uchiha quickly made her way to the front door.

She wanted some fresh air…

These walls felt like the bars of some prison, choking the air out of her lungs and pressing against her small body as if trying to trap her there with its iron claws.

So to escape her version of hell, Sarada grabbed the handle of the door and wrenched it open before bolting like there was no tomorrow.

Just run,

Run as far as you can and just cool down.

Take a deep breath and you'll be fine.

By the time you go home…everything will be normal again…

Mom will have dinner on the table, there won't be a conversation but that was okay.

She was sort of used to it by now.

Once dinner was over, she'll wash the dishes while mom went back into her room…

Then she'll go to her own room and stay there for a bit, maybe read or write.

And then she'll wash up and get ready for bed and then the replay button would be ready for the next day.

What a routine.

Sarada gave herself an angry sigh as she tried to recollect her cool.

She was outside now but despite the nice blue sky with its fluffy cotton candy-like clouds, the temperature was hot enough to melt metal.

So by the time the Uchiha was in front of a small store, there were beads of sweat clinging onto her skin, soaking through her clothes.

She wanted to take a shower but she would rather stink for a million years than go back home now.

Panting and wiping away whatever she could, Sarada glanced up at the store in front of her.

"Ichiraku Ramen?" she blinked.

That name…

Where have she heard that name before…?

Ichiraku?

Hmmm…

"Ah, hey aren't you Sarada?!" a familiar voice snapped.

The young girl sighed before turning to look at a certain blonde haired girl.

"What is it, Ino?" she said dully.

Ino scrunched up her nose at the lack of respect the Uchiha held for her.

"What are you doing here?" she said as calmly as she could. "Where's Sakura?"

"Mom? Home, of course. Where else would she be…?" Sarada said softly before plopping up on a chair and resting her chin on the palm of her right hand.

Then a very strange expression casted over Ino's face.

Almost a mixture of puzzlement and disbelief with a tad bit of…suspicion?

"Since when did you like ramen?" she asked, sitting down next to her. "Have you ever been here before?"

"Huh? No but the name of this place does sound familiar." Sarada shrugged as she glanced at the menu.

"Oh?" Ino said softly. "Then I'll get a small bowl of just regular ramen please!" then she turned her head to look down at the black haired girl. "What about you, Sarada?"

But before she could even open her mouth, something human like came speeding at the booth with a huge amount of force, slamming into the stools causing the bowls to go flying and Sarada to leap off her chair in order to avoid contact with whatever the hell that just was.

Biting back a yelp, the Uchiha spun on her heels and eyed the fallen…boy?

Yes, it was a boy and he was rubbing the rather large bump on his head as he struggled to get back up on his feet.

"Whew!" he laughed once he was finally on a chair. "I'm starving! Hey! Can I get something to eat?"

Sarada and Ino just stared at the young boy in shock as he continued to talk as if nothing in the world could bother him now.

"Ramen! My favorite thing in the world!" he said happily.

This was when Sarada knew something was very off about this boy.

Golden locks….

Golden familiar locks.

Along with that very bright smile.

It was like the smile of a sun.

So radiant…so colorful…so _entrancing_ …

But what bothered her the most was his eyes and that abnormally large forehead.

His beautiful fresh green eyes that was almost identical to her mother's was just…

Very strange.

And that forehead.

It was quite large but it did not ruin that rather handsome frame of his.

A big forehead with those emerald colored eyes.

Why did he look so much like her mother?!

And that smile?! Why was his smile so… _mesmerizing_?!

That hair too! The color along with its structure!

WHY DID IT SEEM SO FAMILIAR?!

This irked the young Uchiha a bit too much.

Perhaps a bit more than what she would've preferred but it irked her nonetheless.

And Sarada, with an exception of her mother, did not let anyone annoy her to this extent.

But this boy.

This odd boy annoyed her just by looking at him.

She didn't even know who he was and still, he irritated her beyond her own understanding.

And so, before she realized what she was doing.

Before Ino could stop her.

Before she realized how this could possibly change her life…

Sarada Uchiha tapped the boy's shoulder and asked, "Hey, you. What's your name?"

The boy stared at her for a brief moment.

And then, it was that glistening smile again.

That annoying yet stunning smile…

And with that smile, the boy answered,

"Shinachiku."


	5. An Interesting Girl Named Sarada

Shinachiku….

Shinachiku?

Shinachiku as in…the name Shinachiku?

Yes, yes…

Shinachiku…?

Haha, that was pretty ironic.

That was the name that her mother was saying.

Yes, Shinachiku…

As in the name or the food?

But he just said his name was Shinachiku so…it was the name Shinachiku.

Time seemed to have stopped for Sarada Uchiha.

"S-Shina…chiku…you said?" she choked out.

"Huh?" emerald green eyes peered into her midnight colored ones. "Yeah, that's me." He smiled.

Sarada was too busy gawking at the boy in shock to realize Ino's own surprise.

The blonde haired girl stared at the boy with a rather peculiar expression.

His eyes, that hair, and that very familiar looking forehead.

Why, if she didn't know any better, that boy looked just like a certain friend of hers.

"What's your name?" Shina asked, his smile still clearly on his face.

Shaking out of her shock, the Uchiha cleared her throat before pushing up the red frames of her glasses.

"S-Sarada…Sarada Uchiha." She said softly.

"Sarada? What a pretty name!"

"Yeah…thanks. Your name is also very…" she paused before offering, "Unique."

"Thanks!" he chuckled, oblivious to the hostility in her tone. "Gaara said that my dad gave me this name!"

Gaara?

"Hey, boy." Ino smiled, flipping her golden locks behind her shoulder. "Are you from Suna?"

"Yep!" he grinned, pointing at himself. "Suna! The desert!"

"I see…" she nodded. "So what is a little Suna boy such as yourself doing here in Konoha?" she asked lightly.

The boy's smile seemed to have wavered for a split second before saying, "Umm…a secret?"

"Aw come on. There's nothing you can hide from me!" Ino laughed. "Come on, I'm curious now."

"W-Well, it's a long story but-" he was interrupted by the bowl of ramen placed in front of him.

"Enjoy!" a cheery voice smiled.

He looked up and nodded at the girl with the chocolate brown hair.

"Thank you!" he laughed, nearly swallowing the thing whole.

"Quite the appetite you have there." Ino chuckled.

"Thank you!" he said again in between the mouthful of noodles.

Sarada leapt off her seat, her mind still trying to adjust to the news she had received.

Shinachiku.

That boy's name was Shinachiku.

She had to go and confront her mom about this.

She had to do it now.

"Where are you going?" the boy's happy-go-lucky voice caused her to flinch. "I finished eating so can you show me around?"

Already?!

He was done with that big bowl of ramen already?!

Sarada forcefully created a small smile as she turned to look at him.

"Sorry but-"

"Please? I don't really know the place and I'm looking for someone so can you-"

"I'm sure Ino can-"

"Sorry, Sarada, but I'm busy today." She smiled, resting her chin on the palm of her right hand.

The Uchiha narrowed her eyes before sighing, suppressing the irritation that was boiling up from within her stomach.

"Fine." She hissed. "Come on…Shinachiku…" she mumbled.

"Ah, call me Shina! It's shorter and I think we'll be great friends!" he smiled that annoying smile again as he hopped off his chair and landed next to her.

"Whatever…" she frowned, walking away.

Shina tagged alongside her before carefully observing her actions and physical characteristics.

She seemed a bit anti-social to be perfectly honest but at the same time, she seemed fairly kind.

He couldn't help but smile as he tried to catch up with the speedy girl.

She was a very interesting person in his opinion.

Maybe she would know who his parents were…

He chuckled to himself at the thought.

Why would she know?

It was illogical to think that way.

Either way, he couldn't wait to hang out with this girl for a little longer.

Konoha had a lot of nice people so far!


	6. She Didn't Know Why

However, Sarada didn't seem to be as nice as he thought.

She would march through the town, pointing out obvious things like,

"That's a lamppost. That's a house. That's another house. That's the sun. That's a cloud that's around the sun, that's the sky, and this is a street."

She would do all this without even throwing a glance back at the perplexed boy.

He was panting, trying his best to keep up with her as she swiftly walked in and out of stores and in and out of dark alleyways and corners.

"A-Ah, wait up!" Shina exclaimed, narrowly avoiding being trampled by a swarm of people. "W-Why is it so crowded?"

Sarada stayed silent before coming to a halt.

"There." She frowned. "I showed you every inch of this place. I hope you're happy."

And with that, she pushed up her glasses and walked away, leaving a dumbfounded Shina behind.

"S-Sarada! Hold on!" he stammered, running after her. "U-Um, c-can you at least tell me why there's so many people? A-And where I can find a place to stay?"

Sarada stopped before turning to look at his hopeful expression.

She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, an impatient look etched across her face.

"Today is when the hokage says his speech or something." She huffed.

"Speech?"

"Sh." She snapped. "And there's a hotel somewhere around here-"

"U-um, do you need money?"

Sarada blinked, "Ha?"

"Do I need money to stay at a hotel-?"

"Of course you need money, idiot!" she exclaimed angrily. "Are you mocking me? You need money for everything!"

"Oh…" he laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry. I just came here very unprepared and well…"

"You left Suna with nothing?" she frowned.

"I did have a suit case but I…well I sorta…forgot to bring it."

Silence.

And then, the Uchiha's hand lashed out grabbing the boy's cheek and squeezed them so hard that Shina was sure that marks would be left behind.

"YOU IDIOT! YOU CAME ALL THE WAY HERE WITH NOTHING BUT THE CLOTHES ON YOUR BACK?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" she roared, shaking him mercilessly.

"I-I'm sorry! I-I just forgot!"

"WHY ARE YOU SAYING SORRY TO ME!?"

A few more moments of this scolding and Shina found himself whimpering in the corner as he rubbed his sore cheeks.

Sarada on the other hand was doing her best to remain cool.

She just exploded on him…

That was strange.

That rarely ever happened.

She was always calm and collected, observing the situation with silence, but for some reason…

This kid managed to make her so angry to the point where she had to yell at him.

She assumed it was because no matter what he did, he just naturally annoyed her.

Everything about him was just so…

Irritating.

And she didn't even know why.

And when Sarada Uchiha doesn't know something, especially if it was her own emotions, frustration took the best of her.

And then it was guilt.

Guilt began to crawl up her throat as she watched the boy continue to massage his face, throwing small peeks at the huge crowd that was slowly surrounding the strange building that the hokage should be in.

Sighing and cursing her softness, Sarada opened her mouth to speak,

"Shina," she started. "I'm sorry about…that," she mumbled, avoiding eye contact with the boy. "I'll give you a proper tour now. I guess confronting my mom about this little event can wait."

Immediately, excitement and a huge burst of bubbling happiness exploded across the boy's face as he leapt up and slammed into her, pulling her into an open hug.

"Thank you!" he laughed, oblivious to the small gasp of shock that she created. "Thank you so much!"

"Get off of me!" she ordered but her voice was being smothered against Shina's clothes as she struggled to free herself.

"Oh! Can we watch the hokage give his speech?!" he asked with so much enthusiasm that for a moment, the girl felt a spark of excitement also swell up from within her chest.

"Oh…" she blinked, before nodding dumbly. "Sure…"

"YES!"

And then,

A sentence slithered away from his lips that caught even Sarada Uchiha off guard.

A sentence that she had not been expecting.

A sentence that would change her life.

"And afterwards we can go and see your mom! I want to meet her!"

Sarada Uchiha, for the first time in a long time, felt a pang of fear.

And she did not know why.


	7. Familiar

"Wow!" Shina smiled brightly as he stared at the huge crowd in front of him. "The speech must be important!"

"Well of course." Sarada frowned, leaning against a tree. "It is the hokage after all."

Shina's eyes sparked with excitement as he eagerly awaited for that important man to appear on top of the strange building.

"When will he come out?" he asked, trying to peek over the heads of those in front of him. "And what is the speech going to be about?"

"I don't know and I don't care." She snapped, slightly annoyed by his constant questioning.

"Have you ever met him before?" Shina grinned, turning to look at her.

Sarada blinked, trying to think of a time when she ever was face to face with the hokage…

Well, there was this one time…

"Once." She said.

"Lucky! I wish I could meet him!" the boy laughed, hopping up and down.

"Why?" she sighed.

This boy was exhausting her.

"What do you mean why? He's the hokage!"

"I'm sure you've been buddy buddy with the kazaekage. What difference is there?" she mumbled.

"I'm not sure…maybe because this is the famous Konoha!" he said with such happiness that Sarada could only stare at him.

And then the soft voices that surrounded them shot up in volume with such a deafening force that they both had to slap their hands over their ears.

"Seventh! Seventh! Seventh!" everyone cheered.

Shina peered up at the building only to see a man with golden locks and astonishing sky blue eyes.

He was waving at the crowd with a smile as his coat swayed with the wind.

"There," Sarada said, crossing her arms. "You saw the hokage now let's-"

"Wait," he suddenly said, his eyes still on the grinning adult. "Are you sure that's the hokage?"

"Huh? Yes, Shina, he's the hokage. Naruto Uzumaki."

"Oh…"

"You sound disappointed." She frowned.

"No, it's just that…he looks miserable." He whispered so quietly that the young Uchiha had to lean forward to hear.

"Miserable? What are you talking about?" she groaned, her annoyance only growing. "He's the hokage. He has a lovely wife, two children, with all the authority in the world, and he's a hero. His life is perfect."

"Ah…" the boy answered.

"Shina, seriously, what is wrong with you?"

"No, but…Sarada, look at him. Don't you think so too?" he said almost desperately.

Scowling, the girl jerked her head up to see the hokage.

He was grinning like there was no tomorrow, he was waving at his cheering fans, and his wife was standing behind him with a soft smile.

He looked confident, proud to be named the seventh hokage, he was standing with a straight posture as he beamed at his village.

He looked far from miserable.

He looked ecstatic.

"I think he's great." She said peeking at Shina with a blank expression.

"Oh, maybe it was my imagination." He chuckled nervously.

"Idiot." She snapped, marching away. "Let's go. It's hot outside."

"B-But can't we just listen-"

"No. I'm going home." She said, obviously frustrated.

Shina quickly ran after her.

But before he could catch up, a flash of pink sliced through his line of vision.

A beautiful shade of fluffy pastel pink.

Slowly, emerald green eyes followed that refreshing color and Shina soon found himself staring at a woman with a very weary look grazing her features.

She was thin and he noticed a slight tremble lacing all over her body as she watched the hokage continue his speech.

And despite this tiring posture of hers, she was actually quite attractive in Shina's opinion.

Gorgeous strands of pink along with fresh green colored eyes…

 _That were just like his._

Shina stared at the woman, his hand unconsciously reaching for her wrist.

But before he could even touch her, Sarada came out of nowhere, anger clearly etched across her face.

"Shina, what are you doing?" she growled. "Come on-" she then stopped, her eyes instantly on the petite woman with the pink hair. "M-Mom?" she said softly.

"Oh, she's your mom?" Shina smiled warmly. "She's very pretty!"

"Shut up. I don't want to see her right now."

"Eh? Why? Didn't you want to go and confront her about some-"

"That's not important anymore. Let's go and hurry before she sees me!" she hissed.

"But why? She's your mom-"

"Sarada…?" a feeble voice said.

Shina turned to see the woman behind them with a concerned expression.

"There you are…I was worried. Where did you go?" she asked then her eyes traveled to Shina. "Who's this? Is this your friend?"

"U-Um," the young Uchiha mumbled. "Before that, mom, what are you doing here?"

"Ah," the woman tore her eyes away from the boy before resting them back on the hokage. "I wanted to hear the speech that's all."

"Uh, miss!" Shina squeaked.

Sakura glanced back at the…oddly familiar looking boy.

His hair was quite…the familiar blonde.

His eyes were also quite…a familiar green.

And that forehead…

She could've sworn,

She was almost certain,

That her heart skipped at least two hundred beats.

"You look really pretty today, miss!"

Silence.

Only the quiet roars that circled around them was audible as the pinkette stared and stared at the boy.

And then something extraordinary happened.

Something magical.

The blonde haired boy peered deep into the emerald orbs of the woman before giving her a brilliant, golden smile.

An entrancing, magnificent smile.

A heartwarming, bright smile.

How strange…

This feeling was almost nostalgic.

That smile was horribly familiar.

It looked almost identical to hers but it was also a mix of…

That stupid hokage.

"Boy," her voice nearly cracked as she knelt down to have a better look at him. "What's your name…?"


	8. Mom

The distant voices of the crowd gently clawed at Sakura's ears.

The hokage's speech only faded into the back of her head.

Her daughter's constant questioning did not reach her.

Even the sound of her quickening heartbeat did not frighten her.

The only thing that grabbed at her heart, the only sound that pounded against her head, the only voice that broke through her void was…

"Shinachiku."

Silence.

Dead, cold, horrifying silence.

Sakura could hear nothing but silence as that name grinded into her very bones.

Ah,

Ah what a strange feeling.

With shaking hands, with a ghost like expression, with desperate thoughts…

Sakura managed to clasp her arms around the boy, bringing him closer.

Burying her nose into his golden locks, embracing his warmth with all of her soul, she began to cry.

But these were not the same tears that she had shed before.

Sarada came to the conclusion that these tears were tears of joy.

These droplets of salty yet glistening water only emitted relief, happiness, and…love.

And the young Uchiha had never seen such life in her mother's eyes before.

Shina was very confused.

This woman was crying all over him as she nearly strangled him with her hug.

But he did not push her away nor did he question her actions.

He let her sob all over his hair, her whimpers reaching his ears as she poured all of her emotions onto this boy named Shinachiku.

"Shina…chiku…" she cried, tightening her hug around him. "Shinachiku…" she repeated with such raw emotions that Shina could only listen in silence.

What was this feeling?

Something fuzzy and warm began to form in the boy's chest.

These tears of hers were so strong to the point where even he felt like crying.

But… _why_ was she crying?

Why was she saying his name over and over and over again?

Piece by piece like a puzzle, Shina came to a final conclusion.

Slowly, he raised his arms and wrapped them around her waist.

And before he even knew it himself, before Sarada could point it out, before the people around him could ask what was wrong, tears began streaming down his face as well.

However, unlike the pinkette, a beautiful smile was lacing his expression.

His handsome smile was only getting brighter as his tears splashed against the pavement.

"Shinachiku…" the woman said softly, her sobs not ceasing.

For Sakura, this was a moment of pure relief.

All other thoughts did not cloud her mind.

Thoughts of doubt, confusion, anger, and sadness did not invade her moment with this boy.

Who cares if he didn't know who she was?

Who cares if everyone was watching?

Who cares if this was not the proper setting?

She just wanted to embrace this child…

That was all she wanted at the moment.

Ah, yes.

Shina knew.

He figured it out.

Only one person would be able to hug him with this much love.

Only one person could spill this much emotion onto his small self.

And only one person would be able to cry such tears of happiness the minute his name was known.

Only one person…

And then Shina said a single word that only made her darkness chip away even more.

A single, heartwarming word.

"Mom…"


	9. Liar

For Sarada it was a different type of feeling.

Despite the emotional scene in front of her that was bursting with tears, smiles, and love…

All she could feel was anger.

Pure, hot, sizzling anger that burned like red, glowing embers.

It fueled her hatred for her mom even more.

It burned with such deep passion that it took every last drop of her will power to push down the urge to slap the woman across the cheek.

Mom?

Mom?!

MOM?!

WHAT THE FUCK DID HE JUST SAY?!

Wrath swirled around from within causing trembles to vibrate throughout her body as she glared at the two people in front of her.

Her hands clenched into fists, her knuckles gradually turning white as her midnight colored eyes drilled holes into the back of Shina's skull.

She should've known…

She should've realized this a long time ago.

A boy with the exact same grass dyed eyes along with an abnormally large forehead…

She should've known that this brat was related to her mother by freakin blood.

No,

No, she must've known this deep down.

Deep down in her heart she knew that this boy was part of her family.

That this boy was related to Sarada and Sakura Uchiha in some way.

In some outrageous, horrifying way…

This boy was a part of her family tree.

But Sarada Uchiha was not stupid.

In fact she was quite smart for a girl her age.

She knew that this golden haired boy had the same mother but…

But,

He had a different father.

It was clear as day.

Her father had hair that seemed to match the feathers of a crow, with moon like eyes that could probably pierce through metal.

Her father seemed cold and distant even in pictures.

He seemed dark with no life burning in those shallow eyes of his.

But this boy was completely different.

His smile alone could light up the world, his shimmering emerald green eyes that clashed with this golden locks emitted so much warmth and life that it could probably bring back the dead.

He was not like her father at all.

This boy did not even have a shred of similarity to Sasuke Uchiha.

This boy was like a radiant flower.

This boy was the damn sun.

So, if Sasuke Uchiha was not his father then…

Who was?

She knew the answer to this question too.

Sarada slowly, very slowly, turned her head to face the hokage.

He didn't seem to notice the small reunion of mother and son at the far end of the crowd, but that didn't matter.

Ah yes.

Shina's mother was Sakura Haruno and his father?

His father was Naruto Uzumaki…

The seventh hokage, the hero of the entire ninja world, the man who achieved everything.

A man who already had a family of his own.

A family he had started with a woman.

A woman who was not Sakura Haruno.

Everything made sense now.

Everything finally clicked.

All of the questions that Sarada had suppressed throughout her entire life was answered in just that one moment.

In that one brief moment all of her doubts, confusion, and curiosity vanished.

In fact…

That was also when she realized that her mother had been lying to her all these years.

" _Mom, why does the hokage keep coming to our house?"_

" _Ah, don't worry. He's just checking up on us. We've been good friends a long time ago, Sarada. We still are."_

" _Oh…"_

 _Liar._

" _Mom, the hokage came again today."_

" _Did he? What an idiot. I told him I wouldn't be home today."_

" _Why does he keep coming here, mom?"_

" _I told you, Sarada." Pause and then, "We're just really good friends."_

 _Liar._

" _Mom, he's here again. Can I tell him to screw off?"_

" _Sarada, no! Watch your mouth and mind your manners! He's the hokage!"_

" _He's annoying."_

" _He's my friend. Treat him with respect!"_

 _Liar._

" _Ah, Sarada, your mom isn't here today either? What a bummer."_

" _Seventh, why do you keep coming here? It's annoying."_

" _Ha?! How rude!" a pause and then, "W-Well, it's because I'm worried and w-we're just really good friends!"_

 _Liar._

" _Hey, Sarada! Wanna go eat ramen with me?"_

" _No. I don't like ramen."_

" _Eh?! B-But ramen is delicious! You have to try it! Come on, I know the perfect place!"_

" _I don't want to."_

" _It's my treat!"_

 _Silence._

" _Fine."_

" _Yes!" he laughed, walking out the door and motioning the girl to follow him._

" _Ichiraku ramen?"_

" _Yep! It has the best ramen in all of Konoha-no, in all the world!"_

 _The girl remained silent before sitting down on the stool, avoiding eye contact with the man._

" _It's been a while, seventh." Another voice smiled._

" _Ah, Ayame!" he chuckled. "Yeah, I'm always busy with paperwork."_

" _Are you Sarada?"_

" _Yes."_

" _Welcome to Ichiraku ramen!"_

" _Thanks."_

 _A bowl of noodles was placed in front of her but all she did was watch the steam swirl and flicker with the gentle breeze._

 _The man next to her on the other hand was slurping away happily before requesting for another bowl._

" _Sarada, I wanted to talk to you for a while." He said._

 _She remained silent._

" _It's about Sakura-chan-" he stopped before smiling weakly. "I-I mean Sakura,"_

 _Chan?_

 _She raised an eyebrow._

" _She hasn't been looking so well lately…" he continued. "Is she okay?"_

 _The girl shrugged in response._

" _Oh…"_

 _Silence._

 _Only the rustling of leaves sliced through the air as they both stared at their food._

 _Sarada's bowl remained untouched as the man opened his mouth to speak once more._

" _Can you keep promises, Sarada?" he asked._

" _Sometimes." She replied. "I try though."_

" _That's good!" he grinned, glancing down at the expressionless girl. "Keeping your promises is good…" he trailed off, his sky blue eyes suddenly finding interest in his chopsticks. "Then, can you make a promise with me?"_

 _She shrugged as he got off his chair and knelt down so he could be on eye level with the girl._

" _Can you promise me to take good care of your mom?"_

 _Sarada simply stared at him before blinking._

" _No."_

" _Huh?! Why not?"_

" _Because that's dad's job."_

 _Another moment of silence but this time it was a very horrible silence._

 _An eerie type of silence._

 _The type that clenched at your heart as you struggled to breathe._

 _The type that crawled up your throat, strangling you slowly and you could do nothing but scream a soundless scream._

" _He's not home yet but he should be." She continued, her raven like eyes blank and lifeless._

" _A-Ah…"_

" _Where is he?" she asked. "Where is my dad?"_

" _H-He's at work-"_

" _He's been at work for years." She cut in, her eyes refusing to show even a hint of emotion. "Why isn't he back?"_

" _I-I've been trying to bring him back but-"_

" _But what? Aren't you the seventh hokage? Can't you just bring him back?"_

" _It's complicated, Sarada. You wouldn't understand."_

" _No," she said softly, her eyes finally tearing themselves away from the man's face. "It's you who doesn't understand."_

" _N-No, I understand! I really do, Sarada!"_

 _The girl said nothing as she got up from her stool before turning to walk home._

 _What a liar._

There was more than that…

He said something after that but she couldn't remember what.

What did he say?

She frowned, digging back into the deepest depths of her memories trying to find a hint.

The hokage said something to her after that conversation.

A very important sentence, she knew that much but what was it?

Yes, she did meet the hokage when she was little.

As a matter of fact she met him nearly every day.

Not just once or twice, not once every few weeks, not just once in a while.

No, she met him _every single day for three whole months._

She even went to Ichiraku to eat some of that disgusting ramen with the hokage himself.

That was when the speech finally ended resulting in the cheers of the people around her.

The pinkette was still clinging onto Shina as the crowd roared and applauded as if god himself blessed them with his words.

How annoying.

Once the laughter and positive comments died down, the hokage said his goodbyes and with a swish of his coat, he walked off.

Oh, right.

There was another line that he said to her a few years back.

It wasn't as important as the one she couldn't remember but it still had a meaning.

" _I also keep my promises, Sarada."_

Despite the stupid scene that was still playing out in front of her, a smirk began to make its way up to her face.

A mocking kind of smile as the crowed swirled away, ignoring the obviously insane woman that was still hugging the blonde boy.

Ha,

The so called hero, the so called hokage…

Was such a liar.


	10. Of Course

"M…o…"

Huh?

"Mo….o…m…"

What?"

"M…oo…m!"

"MOM!"

Instantly, Sakura's head jerked up, long lashes fluttering open as her heart pounded against her chest.

Her pale emerald orbs frantically scanned her area before resting on the face of a familiar looking girl.

"S-Sarada…?" she mumbled weakly. "What's wrong…? I'm tired so can we talk later…?"

"No." her voice sliced through the air like a sword. "We're talking now."

Still half asleep, Sakura nodded dumbly as she slowly pushed herself up from her bed.

Her memory was foggy and her movements were sluggish as she stared at her daughter.

What happened?

When did she fall asleep?

When did she even get home?

What…happened yesterday?

"What is it, Sarada?" she smiled weakly. "Nightmare?"

"I'm not a kid anymore." She said, her eyes holding the familiar look of anger. "Mom, that kid yesterday…"

Kid?

"Who was he?"

Sakura blinked, realization soon settling upon her.

Instantly, she leapt off the bed, running towards her door and slamming it open.

That's right!

How could she forget?!

Where was he?!

Where was her son?!

Where was-

She stopped at the living room.

He was there, sleeping on the couch, his lips slightly parted as he exhaled softly. His golden locks were gently brushing against his forehead as he unconsciously shifted his body to get in a more comfortable position. He seemed to be at peace as he let sleep overtake his exhausted body. His slender arms hung limply from his sides, his breathing gently rising and falling.

He was here…

Safe and sound…

Sakura blinked.

Wait…

Hold on a second.

 _Why was here?_

All nerves freezing, all muscle tensing, Sakura just stared at the boy.

Wasn't Gaara supposed to be keeping him safe in Suna?

Wasn't he supposed to be a secret?

They agreed to keep him as a secret…

That was the deal!

Wasn't that the agreement they had?!

He was a forbidden child!

He was supposed to be a secret!

A secret between him and her!

A SECRET-!

"MOM!" a voice shrilly pierced through the air, slamming into her like a tidal wave.

Sakura jumped before spinning around to face her daughter.

"S-Sarada! N-Not so loud! He's sleeping!"

"You weren't listening." She frowned, crossing her arms. "And I think I deserve an explanation. Who is he?"

This wasn't good…

Oh no, this wasn't good at all.

"B-Before that, honey, where did you meet him? And how did you meet him?"

Narrowing her eyes, Sarada sighed before adjusting her glasses.

"I don't know. He came out of nowhere. He just came running, nearly breaking that damn ramen stand thing."

"R-Ramen?"

"Now answer my question."

Sakura stayed awfully silent as she pleaded with her eyes to just…

Leave her alone.

But she knew that her daughter would pay no heed to that.

"H-He's…his name is Shinachiku,"

"I know."

Silence.

And then,

"He's my son."

Another moment of horrible silence polluted the air.

Sarada closed her eyes, exhaling then looking at her mother once more.

"I know."

Sakura's heart pounded against her ribcage at a dangerous high rate.

"W-What?"

"I know he's your son, mom." She growled. "The idiot that's sleeping on the couch? Yeah, him? He's your son, right?"

"S-Sarada-"

"And I also know that he's not my brother fully related by blood." She hissed making Sakura flinch. "He's my half-brother, right? We don't share the same father, am I correct?"

At times like these, the young Uchiha felt like the adult.

It was moments like these when the actual adult in front of her resembled that of a child.

And the actual child was more of the damn adult.

That wasn't how it should be and yet in this household things ran a little more differently.

"Yes…" the pinkette whispered, refusing to meet her daughter's eyes. "He has a different father…"

Silence.

And then another voice entered the conversation.

Awkward yet strong, soft yet determined…

"Is that true?"

Sakura and Sarada slowly turned to see Shina facing them.

His emerald green eyes wide with shock as he stared and stared at his mother and half-sister.

"S-Shina…" Sakura croaked, slight trembles once more taking over her body.

Sarada mentally snorted at this.

Wow,

This woman was weak.

"I-I'm sorry…" Tears were beginning to sting at her eyes as she struggled to keep her tone under control. "I'm sorry, Shina…I…I just left you…I abandoned you…I…you…you don't even have…the same father as…Sarada…I'm so sorry. I'm…I'm a horrible person…I'm a horrible mother. I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do. You're finally here in front of me…and all I can do is apologize. I can't even greet you properly…I can't even look at you without crying. I can't hug you without shaking, I can't even act like a mother without…without…regretting…everything that I've done…" she was trembling like a small animal that's been abused endlessly, her tears kept streaming down her cheeks, gently splattering against the floorboards.

Sarada could only think one thing:

 _How pitiful._

Shina didn't move.

His mother was crying…

Her sobs were the only things that was piercing through the silence.

She looked so small, so weary, so weak…

She looked so helpless, so wounded, so hurt that the boy could only stare.

Her words drilled themselves into his head.

 _Your parents love you with all their heart._

That was what Gaara said.

One look was all it took for Shina to realize that Gaara was not lying.

This woman who was weeping, shaking, and dying with guilt…

Loved him with all her heart.

"Mom," he said softly, watching her wince at his voice. "I...I think I like it here."

Sakura slowly raised her head.

"Can I stay for a little longer?"

Sakura must be hearing things.

He wanted to stay here?

But she abandoned him…

She left him in a place miles and miles away from her.

She left nothing behind for him…

The only thing she ever gave him was a name.

And he wanted to stay with her for a while longer?

That…

That didn't make any sense!

Lost for words, the pinkette could only let the tears fall even harder.

With slow, robotic movements, she felt herself walk towards the smiling child, embracing him once more.

"Of course…" she whispered. "You can stay here as long as you want. Of course…of course you can stay here…Shinachiku…"


	11. Meeting Bolt

"I said I want to see him!"

"A-Ah, I'm terribly sorry but your father is-"

"BULLSHIT! HE IS NOT BUSY!" A young boy shoved the woman away before sprinting towards the hokage's office.

Smiling in victory, Bolt reached his hand towards the handle but something stopped him.

A rather familiar feeling crawled down his spine once he felt his body freeze.

"S-Shikamaru…" the boy smiled weakly, glancing back at the advisor.

Narrowing his eyes and sighing, he rubbed his temples.

"Bolt…" he said, his tone reaching a dangerous one.

"I'm going to see him!" the blonde snapped, trying to break free from the damn shadow jutsu. "That stupid, ungrateful, piece of shit is not busy! I know he's not!"

"That wasn't very nice." The shinobi frowned, walking past him and towards the door. "He's the hokage, he's always busy-"

"HE'S BEEN BUSY MY ENTIRE LIFE!"

Shikamaru paused before scratching the back of his neck.

"You're too loud." He said quietly.

"Very." Another voice seemed to have pushed its way into the conversation causing Bolt to flinch before slowly glancing up at his dad.

Naruto had a piece of paper in his bandaged hand while the other was on his forehead, irritation visible on his features.

"Bolt, I'm not in the mood for your complaints."

Immediately, anger flashed across the young Uzumaki's face.

"What the hell, dad?!"

"Shikamaru, take him somewhere safe…go play with your friends, son." the hokage frowned. "I'm busy."

"BULLSHIT!"

"Go. Now."

His eyes filled with disgust, anger, and betrayal, Bolt slapped away Shikamaru's reassuring hand before sprinting away.

"Seventh…" Shikamaru sighed, giving him a rather disappointed look.

"I said I'm busy."

"Busy doing what?"

"Stuff."

Silence.

And then,

"You should go and talk to your son…I'll do the rest of these documents." He said, lazily grabbing the paper away from Naruto.

Naruto said nothing before heading back into his office.

"Hey, Shikamaru," he started.

"Hm?"

The shinobi turned his gaze from the papers to the hero before him.

"Hinata hasn't been saying anything again…"

Shikamaru closed his eyes before opening them again, letting these familiar words sink in.

"Again?" he mumbled, closing the door behind him.

Naruto nodded, plopping down on his chair with a sigh.

"She's just…tagging along with me again…never saying her own thoughts, feelings, or opinions." He grumbled, resting his head on his desk. "We can't even fight about it because she apologizes before I can even get angry! But if she's not going to fix it then why apologize in the first place?! This is so annoying! Why can't she talk to me for once in her goddamn life?!"

"Nar-I mean seventh," the advisor blinked. "Give it time-"

"It's been weeks already. How much longer do I have to wait?" Naruto snapped, his weary eyes only finding interest in the designs of his desk.

Another moment of silence.

Shikamaru sighed – he's been sighing a lot lately – before mumbling something under his breath.

"Look, I've been giving you as much advice I could offer for the past couple of years." He said, slightly annoyed. "And for the last time just-"

"I'm not divorcing her."

Shikamaru could only give him a small look of exhaustion before sighing again.

"Whatever you say."

Bolt stormed through the village, ignoring the dirty looks the villagers were throwing at him.

His hands were shoved in his pockets as he mumbled a multiple of curse words under his breath.

"Crappy, stupid, idiot, retarded-OW!"

A huge amount of force slammed into Bolt, knocking him down with such strength that for a moment, he forgot to breathe.

"WHAT THE HELL-?!" he started but stopped himself the moment a pair of sparkling emerald green eyes pierced themselves into his sky blue ones.

"S-Sorry!" the boy laughed, helping him up. "I didn't see you."

"Are you an idiot?!" Bolt snapped, swatting his hand away before brushing himself off.

"Ah, I didn't really mean to-"

"Shut up. I don't care." He growled.

That was when something about the boy caught Bolt's eye.

That was strange…

Why did this idiot look almost identical to his dad?

It wasn't just the color of the hair but…

But there was something about him that reminded Bolt of his own father.

He must be imagining things.

There was no way that this kid was related to his father in any-

"Shina!" a girl's voice this time rang in Bolt's ear.

"Ah, hi, Sarada!" the boy named Shina smiled.

"What are you doing-oh, Bolt." She blinked, her expression blank.

"You know him?" Shina smiled weakly.

"Yeah…why?"

"Uh, hello? Your freakin boyfriend ran into me." Bolt hissed.

"He's not my boyfriend." She frowned, deeply annoyed by that statement.

"Yeah! She's my sis-"

"FRIEND! IM HIS FRIEND!"

Silence.

"You don't make friends, Sarada." Bolt said, narrowing his eyes.

"I made one now." She said coldly. "And unlike you, I actually have some."

Bolt winced at her tone before crossing his arms.

"Whatever."

"I ran into him by accident." Shina squeaked.

"And why were you running?" she sighed, pulling at his cheeks.

"T-There's a competition." He smiled.

"Huh?"

"Finish the mega ultra-bowl of ramen in twenty minutes or less then the next three meals you get at that place is free."

"That's stupid." She snapped.

"I'm going to win it!" he laughed, grabbing her wrist. "It was nice meeting you, Bolt!" he exclaimed, sprinting away with the protesting Uchiha.


	12. An Old and Dirty Ramen Stand

"So," Sarada hissed. "Why did you come with us?"

Bolt ignored her, his eyes resting on Shina who was gulping down an enormous bowl of ramen with ease.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She said, her expression still holding no emotion. "Did I speak out of turn, oh great son of the Seventh Hokage?"

Instantly, Bolt whipped his head back to glare at her with obvious anger.

"Did I touch a nerve?" she asked blankly.

"A big one." He snapped.

"My apologies, your highness."

Bolt gritted his teeth, flashing that damn Uchiha a dirty look.

But as always, she ignored him while casually and slowly eating her bowl of steaming noodles.

"W-Woah, you actually finished, Shina!" Ayame laughed, taking the bowl from him before glancing down at his plump stomach.

He chuckled happily, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"I won!" he cheered, smiling at Sarada who rolled her eyes.

"Good for you." She said with a rather monotone voice. "Now, let's go home."

"Okay! Thanks for the ramen, Ayame!" Shina smiled brightly, hopping off his chair as he turned to leave.

Bolt narrowed his eyes.

This kid annoyed him…

He annoyed him greatly.

Just his smile, his laugh, that small spark of life that seemed to be bursting out of his eyes…

He hated it all.

All of it.

He hated that boy named Shinachiku.

But before he could think of some random insult, the woman who worked at this stinky ramen place spoke,

"You know, Shina," she started with a smile. "You remind me of someone, someone who used to be really important to this ramen shop…"

"Used to be…?" Shina blinked, confused.

For a second, – it could've been his imagination – Shina swore that the pretty lady's smile fell a bit.

"Well, he does come by time to time…" she said softly. "But not as much as he used to."

Sarada's eyes flickered towards Shina and Ayame before glancing at Bolt who could care less about their conversation.

"Well, it's understandable though. He is a very busy man…" she said almost sadly. "It's just that…I wish he came to this old ramen stand of mine and gave me that usual smile of his one more time. I wish he ordered one more bowl of ramen…cracked a few jokes…I wish he would just…just be happy one more time." she trailed off, her eyes downcast and hidden behind her curtain of hair.

Shina listened, his emerald orbs resting on the girl's face as she spoke.

Sarada had to hand it to him…

He knew how to keep a person talking and he definitely knew how to listen.

He never interrupted, he never added anything rude or unnecessary, and he never gave his own opinion on the matter.

He simply listened with a soft expression.

"So, Shina," she suddenly brightened up, her smile bright and warm. "I'm going to give you these coupons." She winked, sliding him three. "I don't normally do this but…" she grinned slowly. "You're a special one."

"Wow! Seriously?! Thank you, Ayame!" he laughed, waving the coupons in the air. "Here, Sarada! Bolt! You want one?"

"No thanks." Bolt spat, shoving his hands in his pocket.

"Oh…then we can go together, Sarada! You, me, and mom!"

Sarada blinked at his statement, slightly taken aback.

"Mom…?" she repeated.

"Yeah!"

"I'll think about it." She mumbled, taking one of the coupons he handed her.

Shina cheered in victory before flashing another one of those irritating yet perfect smile at Ayame.

"Thank you so much!"

"No problem. You won the competition too so your next three meals are free! Aren't you a lucky one, Shina?" she beamed, patting him on the head.

Bolt could puke at the scene.

For some reason…

He was starting to hate this kid even more.

"I'll see you around, Ayame!" he waved with a smile.

"See you…" she replied. "Keep bringing that smile of yours, boy…"

* * *

Sarada walked alongside Shina who was blabbering something about how full he was, but she was hardly paying attention.

" _You remind me of someone, someone who used to be really important to this ramen shop…"_

She knew exactly who she was talking about…

But this was something she shouldn't mention, especially in front of a hotheaded brat.

"You can go home now, Bolt." She said casually, not even throwing a glance in his direction.

He scowled at her words, but his attention was on Shina.

"Hey, you said something before that's confusing me." He said with a frown.

"Hm?" he grinned.

"You said mom…" he started, his eyes narrowing at the small glimpse of fear that ran across Sarada's face. "Mom as in Sarada's mom? Or…mom as in your mom?"

"My mom!" Shina laughed, completely oblivious to the sharp tug Sarada gave him.

"But then you directed it to _her_ mom-!"

"You're not making any sense," Sarada suddenly cut in, her eyes drilling themselves into Bolt's. "Is Bolt showing off his stupidity?"

"What did you just say, Uchiha brat?!" he hissed.

"W-Woah! Calm down please!" Shina exclaimed, pushing himself between them.

"Tch, whatever. I'm leaving." The blonde snapped, turning on his heels.

"And never come back." She replied harshly.

Shina could do nothing but watch Bolt walk away in a nervous panic.

He quickly jerked his head back to face his sister, "Why were you so mean, Sarada?!"

The young girl glared at him with her usual blank expression as she pushed up the frames of her glasses.

"Never," she said darkly. "Never ever mention that we're related in front of him."

"Huh? Why?"

"Just don't." she said almost angrily. "Understand?!"

Shivers ran down Shina's spine.

A rather deadly aura emanated off of his younger sister, and it was enough to shut him up.

"Y-Yes…" he squeaked quietly.

She gave him a curt nod before storming off, hiding a small look of anxiety from her naïve older brother.

That Bolt kid…

He was the son of Naruto Uzumaki.

There was no way in hell she would allow that stupid bastard know the truth behind his and her family.

It would only create unwanted drama.

And she hated drama.


	13. Nevermind

Bolt began to mumble another round of curses underneath his breath as he marched home.

Venting his anger towards a pebble he found on the way, he continued to kick it against the pavement while giving every single villager a dirty look.

"Stupid…stupid Uchiha…" he hissed. "Annoying…blonde…piece of shit…"

"AH! MOM! LOOK! IT'S OLDER BROTHER!"

Flinching, Bolt glanced up only to be lightly tackled by his little sister.

"Oh," he said quietly. "Hi."

"Bolt," this time a softer voice called out to him. "What are you doing out here? Don't you have homework?"

Scowling, the boy glared at his mother before mumbling, "I finished it."

"Don't lie to me." HInata sighed. "You haven't been home all day today. Were you at dad's office again?"

"No…" he grumbled, avoiding eye contact with his mom.

Hinata stared at him before sighing, "Let's go home, Bolt. Dinner will be ready soon."

"I already ate." Bolt snapped.

"Oh…what did you eat?"

Silence.

And then,

"Ramen."

Something tugged within Hinata's heart.

Something horrible was tugging at her insides.

Pain?

"Ramen…" she repeated. "That's not very healthy…"

"I don't care."

This was how it always was.

This so called relationship that Bolt held with his parents was never stable.

It was always ripping, breaking, and shattering with each passing day.

And he couldn't do anything about it.

"Bolt, let's eat something healthy today-"

"No. I don't want to." he hissed, turning on his heels to walk away. "When's dad coming back?"

"O-Oh...I'm not sure…"

"You're never sure. Does he even tell you anything?" he snapped, narrowing his eyes. "I bet not. He's always like that. He's always ignoring us."

"That's not true, Bolt! He's your father!" Hinata attempted to raise her voice, but it sounded like more of a weak whimper than anything. "Please, Bolt. Let's go home."

"Not until dad comes back! Why is he always like this?! Why does he keep leaving us?!"

"Bolt, please…"

"I WANT MY DAD BACK!"

His voice boomed, shattering the eerie silence that engulfed the air. He panted, hands clenched together into tight fists as he glared angrily at his mother, and ignoring his sister who hid behind her mother's skirt in fear.

Then, delicate hands rested on his shoulders, tearing him away from his wrath.

A sugary smell of something akin to fresh flowers wafted through the air, almost luring Bolt into a daze.

Tips of pink pastel colored locks appeared in his vision and he glanced up only to see a weary woman softly staring down at him.

"Bolt," Sakura smiled timidly. "Listen to your mother. She's going through a hard time as it is. Please don't put any more burden on her."

Bolt's eyes widened and he took a quick step back.

"Sakura…" Hinata whispered. "I'm sorry you had to see that…"

"Oh, no, no, no. I understand." the pink haired woman laughed. "Have you seen Sarada? She was around here somewhere."

"Yeah, she was with some boy eating ramen." Bolt mumbled, crossing his arms.

"A boy?" Hinata said lightly. "Oh my, is Sarada getting to that age already?" she giggled.

"O-Oh! No! I mean yes! Wait, a boy? Um, is that so?" Sakura blinked and rambled in surprise. "Are they getting along?"

"Yeah." Bolt hissed. "Almost too well."

To his shock, a wash of relief poured over Sakura's expression as she gave him a shimmering smile.

Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, her eyes shone with happiness as she turned on her heels to leave.

A sense of powerful grace was slowly crawling up her figure, and Bolt saw something that he has never seen in that woman for a long time:

Strength.

"Thank you, Bolt. I'll see you around, Hinata." she said brightly.

Silence drifted around like waltz as they watched the woman leave.

"I haven't…" Hinata started softly. "I haven't seen her smile like that in a long time."

* * *

"S-Sarada, where are we going?" Shina stammered in between pants. "Y-You've been dragging me around for a long time now! W-Where are we-EEP!"

Sarada groaned, watching her brother trip over his own feet and fall flat on his face.

"Are you always this stupid?" she snapped.

"N-No? At least I don't think so?"

"That was a rhetorical question." she narrowed her eyes.

Suddenly, she lashed out her hand and pointed up. Pale emerald orbs followed her finger and rested on a huge monument carved from the side of a mountain. A face - bold and stern - looked over the village.

"That's the current Hokage." Sarada frowned. "Doesn't he look a bit similar to you?"

Shina blinked, tilting his head to the right in confusion.

"No? Are you blind?!" she said harshly. "You look almost identical to his stupid face!"

"He doesn't look stupid!" Shina defended with a frown. "What's wrong? You sound so angry. Did I do something wrong?"

Sarada exhaled, running her fingers through her hair as she averted her eyes away from her brother.

He was right. She was getting a bit irritated so maybe she should tone it down.

"Sorry." she said softly.

"No it's fine." he smiled warmly, not noticing how she flinched at his smile. "But I wish I could meet the hokage. He seems really cool."

Sarada remained silent, pushing up her glasses with a sigh.

"Cool?" she mumbled. "Not really. He has his own problems that he's not addressing."

Shina looked at her, puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

"Family stuff." she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "He won't even talk to his wife or to his children. The whole village knows about it. Some Hokage, huh? He can't even protect his own relationship with his family. How can he protect the village?"

Shina opened his mouth, but stopped.

She had a point…

"I guess…" he whispered. "U-Um, Sarada, I know who my mother is now, but do you know who my...my father might be?"

Sarada shot a deadly glare in his direction and he winced in surprise.

"You mean you still haven't figured it out yet? Are you serious?" she hissed, marching up to him.

"W-What?" he squeaked. "A-Am I supposed to know?"

Sarada gritted her teeth, utterly pissed off by his stupidity. She gave the most obvious hint in the past 5 minutes and yet,

And yet…

Should she tell him?

But if he finds out then what will happen to her? To her family? To Bolt's family?

She bit her lip, staring at Shina who was awkwardly smiling under her fury.

Maybe she should keep this all a secret…?

Keep his birth a secret, keep his parents a secret, and just keep everything a secret from Shina himself.

She couldn't risk her already broken relationship with her father to be even more broken. She couldn't risk Bolt's family to fall apart even more than it already had.

There were too many risks and too many consequences that could affect her for the rest of her life.

So, Sarada smiled - a smile that even she knew looked disgusting and awfully fake - and said,

"Never mind."


End file.
